For the purposes of the Act, please take the date of your receipt of this request as 16th November 2015.

I note with interest the proposal by NHS ENgland and the HSCIC to develop a "single national GP dataset".

As far as I understand:

• NHS England assert their opinion that "a compelling case" that the initial care.data GP dataset, as agreed with the BMA and RCGP, and approved by the (now abolished) GPES IAG, "requires further review"

• The proposed "single national GP dataset" will process extracted and uploaded data for "purposes beyond direct care", which most refer to as "secondary purposes"

• The HSCIC will be tasked with extracting and uploading this dataset from GP practices, and the data set will include NHS numbers, DOBs, gender and postcodes, prescriptions, referrals and diagnoses

• The data extracted and uploaded will therefore be "personal confidential data", as defined by the DPA

• A public consultation is to be held regarding this proposed datatset

Please could you provide with the following information:

• Is the extraction and uploading of this dataset simply still care.data, albeit with an "updated" dataset, or will this proposal be an additional, parallel, extraction of data, outwith the care.data programme, for a different project ?

• Please could you provide me with the Privacy Impact Assessment that you (must) have undertaken regarding such an extended dataset (unless you are relying on the care.data PIA - if so, please say so)

• Please can you confirm that patients in England will have the right to object to the extraction and uploading of their data, as defined by this dataset, for the (secondary) purposes that their PCD will be processed for

• Assuming NHS England and the HSCIC intend to respect such an objection, please can you confirm that patients who have already objected to their GP about the extraction and uploading of their data for secondary purposes - that is, the addition of the 9Nu0/XaZ89 read code to prohibit, for example, care.data and the National Diabetes Audit - can be reassured that their data automatically will not be uploaded for the purposes intended by this proposed "single national GP dataset".

• Or will patients who have already requested that their GP add the 9Nu0/XaZ89 read code to their record be required to to opt-out, yet again, with yet another, different read code ?

As per Section 1(4) of the FOI Act
( http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000... ) I would like the information in question held at the time when my request is received (draft or otherwise), except that account may be taken of any amendment or deletion made between now and the latest time by which the information is to be communicated to me, being an amendment or deletion that would have been made regardless of the receipt of my request.

I would be grateful if you would be kind enough to send me the requested information promptly and in any event not later than the twentieth working day following the date of receipt of my request.

If my request is denied in whole or in part, or specific items within the responses are withheld from disclosure, then you must justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act, as per Section 17 of the Act
( http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000... ). Where you rely on a qualified exemption to withhold disclosure, you are obliged to consider the public interest in your decision and the refusal notice must explain not only which exemption applies and why, but also the public interest arguments addressed in reaching the decision.

I would be grateful if you would kindly acknowledge receipt of this request as recommended by the ICO ("It would be good practice to acknowledge receipt of requests and to refer to the 20 working day time limit, so that applicants know their request is being dealt with").

I am writing to acknowledge that your request for information was received
by The Health and Social Care Information Centre on 16/11/2015 and is
currently being considered.

If The HSCIC is able to provide you with the information you have
requested, then under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act you are
entitled to receive it promptly and in any event no later than the 20th
working day following the date of receipt. However, we may need to contact
you to clarify your request, if this is required we aim to do this
promptly but no later than 7 days after receiving your initial request for
information.

May I take this opportunity to explain the FOI Act in more detail. The Act
provides a 'General right of access to information held by public
authorities. However, it also defines a number of exemptions which may
prevent the release of some or all of the information you have requested.
Therefore, the HSCIC will assess your information request in light of any
relevant exemptions.

If exemptions do apply, then the HSCIC may decide not to release all, or
part, of the information you have requested. I shall inform you if this is
the case, and advise you of your rights of appeal.

If the information you request contains reference to a third party then
they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken as to whether to
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The response to your request will be sent to you by email, however if you
require your response in any other format, please contact us to discuss a
suitable format.

The HSCIC will not normally charge a fee to provide you with the
information you have requested, unless the cost of dealing with your
request is more than £450 as outlined in Section 12 of the FOI Act and
Section 3 of the The FOI and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees)
Regulations 2004. If it appears likely that your request will cost more,
then the HSCIC is able to refuse to supply the information. As per our
obligations under Section 16 of the FOI Act, every effort will be made to
provide you with details of how you may be able to reframe your request in
order for us to complete the required work within the (£450 / 18 person
hours) cost limit.

If you have any queries or should you wish to make a complaint about the
manner in which your request is being processed then please do not
hesitate to contact me at the above address in the first instance. Any
complaints will be investigated in accordance with the HSCIC complaints
procedure.

Further information about your rights under the Freedom of Information
Act, is available from the Information Commissioner's Office, Wilmslow,
Cheshire and on the HSCIC's website.

Neil,
The response doesn't answer your question on the single National GP dataset, care.data and uses other than care.data.
Are you expecting a further reply?
And have you found out who is involved in developing and approving the proposed single national GP dataset - and its uses?
Many thanks for the updated nhsdatasharing link: very useful indeed.
Mary Hawking